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January 15, 2025 is the forefeast of the Epiphany, the day of remembrance of St. Seraphim of Sarov.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the St. Sophia Cathedral of the Iveron-Seraphim Convent in Almaty.

The day of remembrance of the Sarov miracle worker, along with the celebration in honor of the Iveron Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, is the patronal feast of the monastery.

The head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan was assisted by: vicars of the Astana diocese - Bishop Claudian of Taldykorgan and Bishop Veniamin of Talgar; dean of the churches of Almaty, rector of the St. Nicholas Cathedral, Archpriest Valery Zakharov; rector of the Almaty Church in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow" Archpriest Yevgeny Vorobyov, secretary of the Kostanay diocese Hieromonk Gennady (Burduzha), rector of the Paraskevino Church and the Alexander Nevsky Church Archpriest John Lopatin, rector of the Epiphany Church Archpriest Valery Shavrin, key keeper of the Peter and Paul Church Archpriest Kirill Shklyar, chairman of the society of Orthodox doctors of Kazakhstan Archpriest Anatoly Izmerov, rector of the Iveron Church in the village of Boroldai Hegumen Filaret (Petrochenko), dean of the Ili church district Archpriest Alexander Zyryanov, rector of the Ksenievsky parish of the city of Konayev Hieromonk Pimen (Tkachenko), Archpriest Alexander Sokolov, rector of the Nativity of the Mother of God Church of the microdistrict Akzhar Hieromonk Alexy (Cherevtsov), head of the personal secretariat of the Metropolitan Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky), vice-rector of the Alma-Ata Theological Seminary for educational work Priest John Livinsky, head of the administrative secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District Priest Georgy Sidorov, Hieromonk Cherubim (Levin), head of the correspondence department of the Alma-Ata Orthodox Theological Seminary Priest Daniil Bobylev; key keeper of the Adriano-Natalievskiy Church Priest John Konoplev, key keeper of the Kazan Cathedral of Alma-Ata Priest Georgy Rublinsky, Hieromonk Savva (Kulbakin); Protodeacon Nikolai Grinkevich, Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky, Deacon John Churkin, Deacon Bogdan Boyko, Deacon Andrei Plakhuta, Deacon Roman Karaman, Deacon Rustik Yakubov, Deacon Ilya Vorobyov.

With the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander, a reliquary with the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov, part of the stone on which the venerable elder prayed for a thousand days and nights, a lock of the saint's hair, as well as parts of his clothing and vestments, was brought to the church from the Iversko-Serafimovskaya house church of the metropolitan residence in Alma-Ata for the prayerful veneration of the faithful. For the prayerful consolation of the faithful, a copy of the reliquary with the Gifts of the Magi, brought to Alma-Ata from the Athos monastery of St. Paul, was brought to the church for the service.

The chants of the Liturgy were performed by the choir of the St. Sophia Church under the direction of O. Usoltseva.

The following prayed at the service: the abbess of the Iversko-Serafimovsky Convent of the Southern Capital, Abbess Lyubov (Yakushkina) with the sisters of the convent; employees of the Alma-Ata diocesan administration headed by the secretary of the Metropolitan District, Honored Artist of Russia O.N. Ovchinnikov; parishioners of the church.

The sermon on the verse after communion was delivered by Priest John Livinsky.

The Liturgy ended with the glorification of St. Seraphim of Sarov.

After the service, Metropolitan Alexander congratulated the hierarchs, the mother abbess, the clergy and parishioners on the patronal feast and delivered words of instruction.

"Reverend Seraphim left us many profound and wise, but at the same time simple in content teachings, which he based on the Holy Scripture and the works of the Holy Fathers. We learn many saving lessons from the well-known saying of Father Seraphim: "Acquire a peaceful spirit, and thousands around you will be saved." The good, righteous spiritual state of a person filled with the Holy Spirit spreads to many. But it is important to remember that sin, having appeared in the heart of one person, gradually infects more and more people. Therefore, desiring salvation for ourselves and our family and friends, desiring to eradicate sins and vices in society, we must first of all begin with ourselves - lead a virtuous life, acquire holiness, be transformed by the grace of the Holy Spirit. The saint considered prayer to be an important means of acquiring grace: “Prayer brings the Spirit of God more than anything else, and it is most convenient for everyone to perform… For its fulfillment, there is always an opportunity for both the rich and the poor, the strong and the weak, the healthy and the sick, the righteous and the sinner.” Saint Seraphim calls everyone by his example and his instructions to follow the path indicated by Christ. He calls to fight sin and one’s shortcomings, himself being a beacon and a lamp for all who seek salvation.” From the sermon of Metropolitan Alexander.